Hitachi Energy strengthens Jeju Island’s grid with South Korea’s first VSC converter technology installation

On the picturesque Jeju Island, located in the Korea Strait south of the Korean Peninsula, a new era of power stability and reliability has dawned. There, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) inaugurated its high-voltage direct current (HVDC) converter stations, injecting 200 MW of power into the island’s grid with enhanced stability and reliability. This milestone project, known as the Wando-Dongjeju #3 HVDC converter station project, developed in collaboration with Hitachi Energy, is the Republic of Korea’s first Voltage Source Converter (VSC) installation. The facility was inaugurated in the presence of government leaders and representatives from KEPCO and Hitachi Energy. 

Jeju, nicknamed the Hawaii of Korea, is a popular tourist destination, hosting over 13 million tourists each year. It’s known for its sheer natural beauty and volcanic landscapes; in fact, the island is home to Mount Halla, South Korea's highest mountain, nestled in a national park designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site. Wando-Dongjeju #3 HVDC project will help meet the island’s growing electricity demand and support its tourist economy. The converter stations, which convert power from alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) and vice versa, will facilitate bidirectional power transfer through subsea DC cables. The HVDC solution improves the efficiency of the island's interconnections, stabilizes the grid, and minimizes the risk of outages.

"By leveraging our cutting-edge HVDC technology, we are not only helping to meet the current energy demands but also paving the way so that Jeju is carbon-free and powered entirely by renewable energy by 2030¹, "said Suk-Hwan Choi, Country Managing Director of Hitachi Energy Korea. "This collaboration underscores our commitment to innovation and excellence in delivering reliable power to Jeju and help bolster its tourist economy." 

"This is an important milestone in our long-standing collaboration with our customer KEPCO to meet the growing energy demand in the country. We were able to bring our multi-cultural understanding to the fore to ensure a successful project execution," said Urban Wijk, Project Director of HVDC Wando-Dongjeju at Hitachi Energy. "With our HVDC systems, we are happy to support South Korea in its efforts to enable a sustainable, flexible, and secure grid for Jeju Island. This will benefit not only the local population but also the millions of tourists, who visit each year."  

2024 marks 70 years of Hitachi Energy’s HVDC technology since its first installation between mainland Sweden and the island of Gotland. Projects like the Wando-Dongjeju #3 HVDC Converter Station continue to demonstrate how HVDC is a transformative force that strengthens transmission systems. It is the most effective and reliable technology to transport large amounts of electricity over long distances with minimal loss. Its compact design incorporates advanced features like regulating grid fluctuations and fast power restoration in the event of an outage. These features provide economic benefits for the network operator and reliable electricity for consumers, especially when it comes to boosting island economies such as Jeju Island. 

Footnote

¹ CFI 2030 (Carbon Free Island 2030) Part 1 View Details | Industry Trends | Jeju

People on the photograph (from left to right):
 

1. Jae-Kyeong Lim, Grid Integration Presales Project Manager
2. Su-Jin Kim, Project Site Coordinator
3. Sun-Young Moon, Project Administrator
4. Anna Mezer, Commissioning Engineer
5. Jee-In Kim, Grid Integration Business Controller
6. Andrzej Pawlik, Commissioning Manager
7. Yong-Jin Park, Quality Manager
8. Digby Campbell, Commissioning Engineer
9. Sung-Hoon Jang, Wando Site HSE Manager
10. Seon-Bin Kim, Grid Integration Market Manager
11. Arman Hassanpoor, Representative Director & COO, HVDC North-East Asia
12. Suk-Hwan Choi, CMD of Hitachi Energy Korea
13. Urban Wijk, Project Director
14. Suk-Ki Min, Project Manager
15. Lukasz Idzik, Commissioning Manager
16. Jeong-Yeol Koo, Wando Site Manager
17. Hwa-Chun Lee, Interface Manager
18. Rudreshkamal Soundravel, Commissioning Engineer
19. Teag-Sun Jung, Lead Engineer
20. Min-Ho Ryu, Key Account Manager
21. Jeong-Yeol Kim, Jeju Site HSE Manager